


Ninety Seconds

by kishamaweezy



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Caring, F/M, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Late at Night, Memories, Past Relationship(s), Piercings, Tattoos, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishamaweezy/pseuds/kishamaweezy
Summary: Love and heartbreak, tattoos and belly rings.
Relationships: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 52
Kudos: 181





	Ninety Seconds

She questioned her own motives even as she stepped from the elevator car and into the 4th floor hallway. 

Special Agent Diana Fowley knew that although it was eleven at night, late by others’ standards, Special Agent Fox Mulder was a night owl and most likely still awake. She also knew his passion for all things seemingly unexplained would likely entice him to assist her with the X-File currently residing in the recently purchased briefcase she carried, and she could really use his assistance. 

However, she was also aware that seeing Fox Mulder, alone in his apartment outside of normal working hours, was an emotional risk for her. They had a past and sometimes late at night, as she lay alone in her bed, that past was resurrected through memories romanticized by the passage of time. Shaking away the thoughts, Diana convinced herself that even though she was arriving unannounced, she was there solely for the work. She wanted to believe that… she  _ needed _ to believe it. 

Diana slowly approached the door of apartment 42 with a sigh, knowing she shouldn’t be so tired for a Tuesday. But it had been a difficult day. 

For the past 48 hours she, Fox, his partner Dana Scully, along with six other FBI agents, had been assigned to a task force that had finally ended this afternoon with the capture of two fugitives who had been hiding in a local warehouse. It had been years since she had to give chase while wearing heavy protective gear and now her body ached. She sighed again, suddenly feeling every single one of her birthdays. 

Closing her eyes as she once again checked her motives, pushing away that lonely feeling, she quietly stepped toward the door. 

Listening for any sounds coming from the apartment, she considered for a fleeting moment whether Fox’s partner may be in there; a thought that nearly had her turn on her heel and leave. The feeling reignited the inner turmoil she’d experienced as she left the elevator car and she let out an exasperated breath. If she  _ was _ there for the work, what difference did it make if his partner was inside? Agent Scully had been injured during the capture of the suspects earlier that afternoon, however, so certainly she’d be at home now, flying high on painkillers and resting. 

Diana smiled, remembering how the petite redhead had single handedly taken down the larger convict. The diminutive Agent Scully was proof that technique was more important than size. Unfortunately, during the take down, Agent Scully’s left hand had become trapped beneath the suspect and her wrist had been broken.

And she had never said a word. 

It had taken Fox noticing his partner’s subtle favoring of her wrist before the medics had been called onto the scene. The woman was tough as nails and Diana considered that in a different life, she and Agent Scully might have been friends. 

Straightening her shoulders she raised her hand and rapped her knuckles quickly on the door. 

“Diana!” Fox quietly greeted her as he opened the door wider and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. “Everything okay?”

Fox looked as though he had been preparing for bed, an observation that confused Diana. It was still early by Fox Mulder standards.  _ Her  _ Fox had slept very little, dropping off wherever he was; usually on the couch in front of the television. 

_ This _ Fox had showered and brushed his teeth. The scent of soap and toothpaste wafted toward Diana on the warm night air that was blowing in through the open windows.  _ This _ Fox wore loose shorts and a clean T-shirt; his feet bare and his hair damp. 

“Everything is fine, Fox. I was in the area and thought I’d drop by and show you this X-File I’m working on. It’s got me stumped, Fox. The task force diverted my time from the case and the AD is pushing for resolution.”

“Sure, Diana. I’ll take a look. I was just closing out some emails before heading to bed. But you know I can’t resist a good X-File.” He smiled kindly, but something felt… off. 

It was then that Diana realized how quiet it was in the apartment. The television was not even on, and she began to seriously wonder just how much this man had changed in the years she had been away. It’s not that she expected him to fall apart without her, but she certainly never dreamed he could be anything but the dark, broken, obsessed man she had left behind. 

This new Fox Mulder was a mystery. 

Diana was introspective as she passed his darkened bedroom door and made her way to the green leather sofa in the small dimly lit living room. She sat herself upon the far cushion, closest to the burbling fish tank, her unease beginning to dissipate as she took comfort in the things she recognized and which symbolized to her the Fox she once knew. 

As Fox bent to twist on a lamp she asked after Agent Scully. 

“She’s doing as well as can be expected.” He grinned. “You know how out of it I am on painkillers? Well imagine that amplified exponentially.” He laughed and shook his head. 

She began unpacking the file from her case as she nodded and grinned, remembering a time when Fox sincerely believed a unicorn had visited his hospital bed. A tonsillectomy on an adult made for an extremely painful recovery and Fox had been filled to the gills with opioids. 

“Well, she deserves all the relief she can get. She was great out there, Fox. I’m happy you have such a skilled agent watching your back.” Diana was almost surprised by her own sincerity. She was proud of herself, perhaps she really  _ was _ there for the work after all. At that revelation, she felt an enormous weight lift from her shoulders. 

“Thank you. She’s saved my ass more times than I can count. Can I get you a water or iced tea? I know it’s a little warm in here. I need to get an a/c repair technician to fix my unit before the nights become unbearable.”

Observing again Fox’s state of dress, Diana considered making a comment about how the warmth at least meant less clothing, but decided they had never enjoyed that type of banter before and didn’t need to start now. 

_ You’re here for the work, _ she mentally reminded herself yet again.

“Water will be great, Fox. Thank you.” He nodded, turned away from the living area, and was halfway to the kitchen when Diana heard it. 

A tiny, soft noise drew her attention to his bedroom door. She was instantly on high alert, but also frozen in place as she attempted to process a million thoughts at once. He must have heard the sound as well, as he immediately turned back.

Diana’s jaw dropped as Special Agent Dana Scully softly padded out of the darkened bedroom, where she had obviously been sleeping. Wearing only a tiny lavender half-camisole and even smaller matching lavender panties, she rubbed her eyes with her cast-free right hand, and mumbled like a small child who had been woken from a dream. 

Mouth still agape, Diana stared at the scene before her, as though it was happening in slow motion. The knowledge that, not only had there been someone else in the apartment, but that person was Fox’s nearly naked  _ partner,  _ seemed impossible to comprehend. 

Dana Scully, the “Ice Queen,” the law enforcement agent who earlier that day had taken down with perfect precision a criminal twice her size, was wearing next to nothing and was absolutely stunning in her beauty. Diana’s face reddened at the realization that Special Agent Dana Scully was so much more than the conservative skeptic she had perceived her to be. 

As though the sudden sight of the nearly nude agent wasn’t enough, a glint caught her eye and Diana silently gasped at the sight of Dana Scully’s pierced navel. Set right in the middle of her flat and extremely toned belly, twinkled a tiny gold and sapphire ornament. 

Everything then felt as though it was happening both in slow motion and at high speed. A quick series of observations flitted through Diana’s mind as she continued to sit with her mouth agape. She simply did not know how to reconcile the agent she was now seeing with the agent she had worked with only hours earlier. As Agent Scully passed the far arm of the couch and moved toward the kitchen, a circular snake tattooed on her lower back was fully visible, and Diana silently gasped once again. 

These would be the details that Diana would later recall. When she was alone, she would remember each detail as vividly as if she had taken a Polaroid for a keepsake album that she kept hidden in a drawer. But at the moment, Diana could not think beyond what she was seeing.

Her pulse pounded in her ears as she observed the injured, unsteady agent throw herself into Agent Mulder’s chest, where she was immediately wrapped into his awaiting arms, and Diana heard Fox quietly comforting his partner. 

“What are you doing up? Are you in pain, honey? You still have an hour before you can have any more drugs.” He rock stepped her around and out of Diana’s view, protecting the dignity of a nearly naked special agent who was unaware of the speechless visitor sitting on the couch. 

He continued to rock and shush his partner and it occurred to Diana that she had never seen him be so tender. She felt the telltale burn of impending tears as she watched two small bare feet step up onto his larger feet and a healthy wrist and a plastered one wrap around the neck of Fox Mulder. 

“Muller… come to bed.” The muffled words, spoken into her lover's neck with a drunken sigh, nearly broke Diana. 

The range of emotions they stirred inside of her forced her to look away. Through her peripheral, however, she saw Fox’s head drop and she closed her eyes as she realized he was tenderly kissing his Scully. She heard her moan softly, and Diana swallowed the lump that had taken residence in her throat. 

“Let me tuck you back in. I’ve got a few things to finish up out here and then I’ll join you. Soon, I promise.” She heard Fox whisper and Agent Scully hummed with a groan. He chuckled and Diana’s heart ached at the sound of it. 

She opened her eyes again as the two agents shuffled through the living area and into the bedroom as she exhaled slowly. Considering quickly packing up and sneaking out while Fox tended to his partner, she also knew it would be impossible. She was frozen in place, tears still threatening to spill down her now cooling cheeks. 

From the moment Agent Scully walked out of the bedroom and until she re-entered it, only about 90 seconds had elapsed. Diana knew a person could drown in 90 seconds, and she was quickly going under. She needed a few minutes to compose herself, to process the deluge of feelings and emotions she had just experienced. And so, she remained glued to her spot on the sofa.

  
  


Taking a deep breath, she let it out and closed her mouth, as she began to really look around for the first time since she nervously entered the apartment only minutes before. She noticed a couple of pairs of small shoes lined up with larger ones near the front door. She saw a woman’s attaché case there as well and a distinctly feminine coat hanging on the coat rack. 

On the desk, she saw two FBI identification wallets and two empty holsters as well as a small frame containing a candid photo of a smiling Dana Scully.  Finally, her eyes came to rest on the contents of the clay dish centered on the coffee table in front of her: sunflower seeds intermingled with a pair of pearl earrings. 

Diana took another shaky breath as an unexpected feeling of defeat washed over her. She realized that she was right to question her motives for being there that night and that she wasn’t there just for the work. The dawning awareness that she hadn’t stood a chance, that she’d lost before realizing she even wanted to compete, was almost too much for her.  But she knew she had only seconds to get herself together before Fox picked up on her discomfort.

She disentangled her clasped fingers and rubbed her sweaty palms over her thighs just as Fox emerged from his bedroom. Without a word or even a glance her way, he headed straight for the kitchen and returned with two glasses of water, one of which he deposited on the table in front of her and one he carried into the bedroom.  Returning empty handed, he pulled the bedroom door partially closed and took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa. 

“Whatcha got for me?” he asked with a smile, no explanation or comment about what had occurred in the past couple of minutes. 

And so for the next hour, Diana and Fox explored the case and came up with several reasonable avenues for investigation. 

Just after midnight, Diana packed up her notes and files and headed for the door. She offered a thank you and bit back any other words she might have wanted to say. 

She knew those 90 seconds would never be formally acknowledged. And she was thankful that Fox trusted her enough that he didn’t need to tell her not to discuss what she’d seen in his apartment. 

As Fox closed the door behind her, Diana stopped short as she heard a small, vulnerable whine.

“Mullllderrrr. My wrist hurts.” 

He was still close to the door, so his reply was clearer; his voice low and soothing as he chuckled. 

“Aw baby, come here. I’ve got you.”

Walking hurriedly away, so as not to hear anymore, she waited until she was fully enclosed in the elevator car before allowing the first tear to fall. She was so tired. 

As she pressed the button for the ground floor, she thought about the eternity of 90 seconds and knew she was never  going to forget the image of Agent Scully walking out of that bedroom. The tough, no nonsense agent had appeared, not less than, but somehow even stronger as she walked out fairly naked and sure of her place in Fox’s life, even as Diana continually questioned her own. 

They loved each other, that was plain to see by anyone at the bureau, but observing such a private moment had been different. It hurt. Christ did it. 

The elevator doors opened and she moved quickly through the lobby and to her car. She looked up at the window she knew to be his bedroom and saw the soft light glowing within, as he undoubtedly was taking care of his Scully, doling out pain medicine and holding her close. 

Her heart ached as she got into the car and drove away, tears falling fast as she finally let them go. She didn’t have a chance, not after seeing that, and yet her mind continued to race. 

Thinking. 

She was always thinking. 

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea floating around in my head for so long I finally had to put it on paper. It all started with the pictures of Gillian “exercising” in a lavender half cami. Which led to the thought of someone seeing Scully’s tattoo and belly ring. Which then led to that somebody being Diana. 
> 
> A great big special thanks goes to @ATTHS_Twice. This story has been sitting in my notes for almost a year. I was too afraid to do anything with it. I’m not a writer. But Crystal agreed to take a look and she edited a few things for me. I had been completely frozen on how to close and she rescued me in the most perfect of ways. I quite literally could not have done this without her. She gets the credit for Diana’s reflection in the elevator and her hasty scurry to her car. But most importantly she encouraged me and said such nice things I have no choice but to post it now. I cannot thank you enough, Crystal!


End file.
